Frayed Knot

This whole thread and, indeed, the whole feeling about the Giants team needs to be reassessed. That's right, they've signed Jeff Francoeur.

I watched and then listened to every pitch except for when I dozed briefly ... IN THE TOP OF THE 16th!!!!. I then woke up in time to hear the final outs so I knew THAT they had won although not HOW. So this morning I checked in with the DVR as I had flicked on the Record feature when I moved to radio-land around inning 13, and it turns out that there is an unexplained five-minute or so gap in the recording ... COVERING THE TOP OF THE 16th!!!!. The recording then picked up again exactly where I had woken up to Howie & Josh!!! Somehow, someway, the DVR and my consciousness synchronized their naps at the exact same time in different rooms. So I guess they won, huh?

Mets � Willets Point wrote: Looks like the Red Sox are starting their mandatory collapse to let the Yankees back in the race. Even if they are (and it's probably a bit too early to declare it so) it's not like the old days when the AL East was strictly a two-team division with the Jays, Rays & O's playing the role of disinterested also-rans. Nor is the loser of the two guaranteed a WC berth thanks to the likes of Oakland, Cleveland, etc.

Our streak of 9-inning/sub-3-hour games ends at one.

Well, that whole letting him hit and leaving him out there for another inning thought is working out well so far, huh?

Infield: Middle of the diamond is solid with Scutaro at 2B and Crawford at SS Panda is back at 3B after missing some time but isn't better than Wright and wasn't even when he was winning votes over him Outfield: Angel Pagan is out so CF and LF are being handled by a combination of that other former NYM Andres Torres, former Brave Gregor Blanco, plus a combination of 26 y/o rookie Juan Perez (42 ML ABs) and the just called up Cole Gillespie (7 ABs plus some previous time with Arizona) Hunter Pence has started every game this year in RF [.266/.311/.456 w/13 HRs]

Game Times: Monday - 10:15 Tuesday - 10:15 Wednesday - 3:45 It's like they're in a different time zone over there or something! Perhaps the most surprising thing about this year's Gigantes is their pitching suckitude. For years it was the strength of their squad and the most cited reason for their two WS titles in a three year span, they sit 5th from the bottom in NL ERA as a staff right now (and that's NOT adjusted for home park) with only Madison Bumgraner (3.05) having an ERA under 4.5 among their starters. We'll see Lincecum tonight [4-9, 4.66]; Zito tomorrow [4-6, 4.44]; and Cain on Wednesday [5-5, 4.85]

Wow, we went nearly half a year without touching this thread. Says something about the Phils although I'm not sure what. Anyway, knee surgery for Ryan Howard. See 'ya in six to eight weeks (if things go well that is ... and, really, what could go wrong with the recovery process for a weight-bearing joint when one weighs 250 pounds?)

Edgy MD wrote: Here's to a second half filled with such special moments. With the final one coming in the game which officially eliminates the Yanx from post-season contention, 'round about the second week in September.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Maybe, FK. But would you argue that Puig isn't the most intriguing/entertaining choice of those offered... even for people who actually follow the game? Hey, I have no problem with him being on this 'Final Choice' ballot and I'm fine if he gets in as a result (and would be shocked if he didn't). I'm just saying that the writer of that piece is a bit over-stating Puig's importance to baseball as a whole, quite possibly because he's listening to his media brethren many of whom think Puig is the only interesting thing about baseball right now. "Puig ... who joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in early June and turned in one the greatest single months any player has done over the last 140 years." No, he's had one of the greatest debut months over the last 100+ years. A very nice accomplishment indeed and a great month even for someone NOT new to the league, but overall it's a very different category than saying it's one of the great months of any kind ever. It's that kind of fact-twisting (intentional or otherwise) and lack of perspective that makes for a poor soap-box on which to lecture his audience on what is or isn't the best thing for baseball.

Part of what has happened is that ESPN--in their never-ending search for the next **STAR** to obsess over--has adopted Puig as their fun go-to guy for hi-lights and updates during what for them is the interminable down period* between the end of the NBA and the beginning for NFL training camps where they can go back to constant updates on the likes Tebow, Brady, Manning^2, and RGIII. So while I don't know who Ken Levine is, it sounds like he's running with the idea that if the media only cares about Yasiel Puig then that must reflect how most of the country feels as well. * I even heard one talking head declare that the conclusion of the NBA playoffs marked the end of this year's sports calendar, until the next season starts up again in September. IOW, there's nothing going on right now that any REAL sports fan cares about.

Hefner's last Nine starts (since May 24): 56 IP; 13 ER; 51 Hits; 10 BBs; 49 Ks; 2.09 ERA; 1.09 WHiP About the only thing he's not excelling at is length (no game over 7 innings) but he's giving a consistent six or seven just about each time (one game was just 5 IP) and some of it all can be blamed on lack of offensive support and lack of defensive support (9 unearned runs over those games). And for comparison purposes only, Harvey over his last nine starts: 59 IP; 20 ER; 53 Hits; 13 BBs; 73 Ks; 3.05 ERA; 1.07 WHiP

Best record in MLB since last year's All-Star Game? ... that's right, the Oakland A's Number of Oakland ASG reps? One, and it's 67 year old Bartolo Freakin' Colon of all people! And somehow Oakland closer Grant Balfour [22 saves, 1.82 ERA] doesn't even rate a spot on an all-reliever final AL showdown while the likes of David Robertson [0 saves; 2.29] does.

Harvey - 1.8 Aardsma - 0.3 Edgin - 0.4 Parnell - 0.2 Murphy - 1.7 Wright - 1.9 Satin - 1.2

Hefner - 4.0 Recker - 1.25 Quintanilla - 1.25 Lagares - 1.5 Young - 1.0 Satin - 1.0

I was thinking of skipping this in the theaters but I think I'll wait until it comes out on cable and skip it then instead.

Commentators, citing recent WS results as PROOF that home field advantage matters (and therefore shouldn't be connected to the ASG) while ignoring the fact that none of the recent series have gone seven games for the HF edge to even matter make themselves sound really stupid. Fine, you're against linking the ASG to the WS, welcome to the club. But stop pretending that stats from 4-game sweeps somehow back up your point. It's gotten to the point where the only reason some broadcasters even bring up the ASG is so that they can knock the whole HF-advantage angle. It's a gimmick idiots designed to boost TV ratings, get over it.

A sub-3:00, UN-interrupted game!!! I think that's the first for the Mets in like a month. Surprised to see Weeks swinging 2-0 there ... but I'll take it.

Mets have had a ton of first-pitch ground-outs, including some that were GiDPs, immediately following base-hits today. One of the frustrating reasons why this is just a one-run game even though the Brews have just one hit out of the infield.

I guess since Axford is no longer the closer he no longer gets to keep all his funky facial hair.

Parnell in for the four-out close-out where he'll have to go through the meat of the Brewer lineup - albeit one without Braun and (at least for the moment) Aramis Ramirez.

Swan Swan H wrote: Adam Jones, American Hero. I especially like the part where that HR came in between innings of our game so I could be watching it at the time. Love it when that happens. Also was nice of Johnson not to suck today right afterward.

I don't like how this game is starting to smell. Out-hitting them 10-2, yet we essentially had to be handed the two runs we did get and through it all are sitting with just a slim lead with [crossout:2pjg9lvd]six[/crossout:2pjg9lvd] five Milwaukee outs to go.

Satin need sliding lessons. Both on his SB and his "double" he slid far too early to where he was slowing down well before he ever got to the base. He was almost out on the SB even though he had the throw beat easily and he WAS out on the 2B in part because of a lousy slide (and a lousy tag).

Some NSA guy just read these posts then turned to his colleague and said: "Hey Joe I think we're on to some kind of weird cell here; whattya make of this stuff?"